Playing-ball case.



J. TURNER. PLAYING BALL CASE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1910.

Patnted Sept. 5,1911.

2 sums-sum 1.

WITNESSES.

J. TURNER.

PLAYING BALL GASB.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1910.

1,002,789, Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: m INVENTOR. Z

UNITED STATES JOHN TURNER, or uxnnrnen,

PATENT OFFICE.

ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR-TO THE'RUBBER PATENTS LIM- ITED 0F ORB WORKS, OF COWLEY, ENGLAND, A CORPORATION OF GREAT BRITAIN.

rLAYmG-BALL CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN .TURNER, a subject of His Majesty the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Uxbridge, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Playing-Ball Cases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved case for playing balls such as footballs, water polo balls, and the like of the kind wherein the foundation of the case consists of several sections of rubber coated or proofed textile fabric such as canvas, stitched together and-suitably strengthened by means of one or more layers of similar material.

Heretoforefootballs having cases of the kind above described have been open to the objection that they were too resilient and lively in play, indeed a dry leather case ball is sometimes 0 en to this objection. Further it has been f dund that the seams in the canvasfoundation and the strengthening pieces of what are termed rubber balls usually placed around the bladder opening in the casing, as at present constructed, form hard portions which interfere with the bound of the ball and are dangerous to the players, the seams also tend to wear through the outer rubber covering very rapidly, these defects being chiefly due to the fact that the building up materials are applied or principally applied upon the outside of the canvas shape.

Now this invention has for its object to provide an improved fabric proofed case whereby the various defects mentioned above are overcome, the finished ball having an even wall and being of uniform softness without hard portions, and having if desired a resilience even less than that of a dry leather balls, resilience of a damp leather ball which as is well known is preferably in play.

Further advantages will be apparent from p the following description :-According to this invention the buildingup or strength ening is performed upon the inner surface of the canvas or fabric shape, a smooth outer surface being obtained, in which the seams are preferably slightly recessed to avoid the wear thereon. Further, throughout the various steps of the manufacture,

. shape or foundation is and approximating to the care is taken not to cure the rubber contained in the built up case, but when the case is completed a layer of cured rubber is laid or formed upon the outside thereof for example, the layer may be of uncured rubber which is cured in situ.

In carrying out the invention a canvas formed by stitching together several suitably shaped sections preferably of rubber coated heavy textile fabric, such as cotton canvas, preferably cut on the bias to insure even stretching, a slit or mouthpiece being left for the insertion of the bladder and the projecting seams of the sections being upon the outside of the shape. A strengthening piece for is then separately made in the following manner :A strip preferably of rubber proofed to the slit in the canvas foundation hasa piece of rubbered thread laid thereon, said thread being laid preferably around and around the slit until the fabric is practically covered. A second piece of proofed canvas also having a slit is then laid upon the surface of the rubbered thread and the two pieces of canvas are then stitched together the stitches extending preferably transversely across the slits and in parallel lines and being continued over the slits so as to partially close same and hold the edges together. The flap or tongue usually employed for closing the bladder opening is then stitched to the strengthening piece which is then ready for attachment to the canvas shape. A bladder is then inserted in the canvas shape and the strengthening piece solutioned or stitched to the mouthpiece slit thereon a few stitches in said strengthening piece *being cut to allow the tube of the bladder to project. The shape is then inthe mouthpiece canvas ha'vinga slit corresponding flated causing the seams to stand out'upon the outer surface thereof. These outstandin seams if desired are then bound with suitable strengthenin strips and the various sections between sai seams except preferably for a small portion around the mouthiece, are covered with one or more shaped ayers of canvas or the like if a multi-ply ball is required and of cloth, felt or other suitable deadening material, until. the case is of the desired thickness, the material then standing slightly above the outer edges of the seams. This strengthening and deadenseams.

about 1Q0 lbs. per square inch or more. The. case is nowremoved from the mold and the rubber with solutioned edges may plied to each section the whole being cured ing material is preferably put on slack. The inflated case is now placed in a mold of somewhat larger size than same and is further stretched by the application of heat 5 and extra air pressure (applied through a pipe passed through the mold into the bladder) for about one minute, causing the strengthening and deadening material to be flattened down flush with the edges of the Such pressure may amount to say bladder deflated and withdrawn. While still soft and hot the case is turned inside out by the aid of 'the mouthpiece the ."stitches across same being cut for thisv purpose. Thus a case having a perfectly smooth outer surface and even walls is produced, the building up material together X with any slight unevenness that may exist being on the inside of the case. It is quite possible, however, if due care is exercised in the above operations, to produce a perfectly smooth inner surface also. The bladder is 2 again inserted and the case inflated and its outer surface then covered with cured or uncured rubber in any suitable manner, the

case being then inserted in a steam jacketed or like mold for the purpose of producing asultable design or marks to represent stitch:

ing or otherwise upon its outer surface. A. pressure of a hundred pounds or more is de. sirable for this purpose. Or the outer surface, of the case may be coated with a rubber solution or a mixture of rubber and gutta ercha solutions and suitably shaped pieces 0 sheet be apin situ or before applying same in any suit:

able manner. For examples-the pieces may be cured in a press before being applied. The

eyelet holes for lacingup the all maybe punched in the cover through the strengthened mouthpiece portion when said cover is 5 finished.

In strapping over the seams before laying on the strengthening material as before mentioned, it is preferable to employ strips of canvas cut on the straight and not upon the bias, as when the case is turned inside out the said grooves or recesses and not upon the seams themselves WhlOh are moreover rendered less prominent.

It 1s possible to form a 3 or even 4 ply cover by the above described method and in forming a 3-ply cover for example, instead of laying the canvas on each section of the case between the outstanding seams, said canvas may be applied over two sections at a time, from the slde of one seam, over the inafter described, the felt or other material being ap lied and the case finished as before described:

To enable the invention to be fully understood it will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings in which a Figure l is a cross sectional view of the distended canvas sha e after the sections have been sewn toget er and before being turned inside out showing the outstanding. seams thereon, and Fig. 2 is a side view of same part1 collapsed, Figs. 3 and 4: are plan views of etails of the two portions comprising the strengthening strip for the mouthpiece, drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of a 2 ply case showingthe canvas shape inside out and built up with two layers of strengthening and deadening material, that is in "the present instance one further ply ofcanvas or the like and one layer of felt or the like. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of a 3 ply case also-inside out, that is in the present instance two further plys of canvas or the like and one layer'of felt or the like. .Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showinga method of binding the seams of the canvas shape.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the

canvas shape, shown turned inside out, is 1 formed of six sections a, in this case of a single ly proofed canvas or material, the stitched edges of which form the outstanding-seams b b b b b b and 0 is the slit or mouthpiece through whichthebladder is introduced and withdrawn, said opening being shown as already strengthened by the strip 0. i

Figs. 3 and 4 show in plan view the method of building up the strengthening piece 0 for the mouthpiece 0; (8 being a preferably solutioned around the cut opening or mouthpiece cthe slits of course coinciding, see F g, 2. A strengthenin piece built in'this manner is soft and plia 1e and does not produce a hard ortion on the surface of the ball as hereto ore.

In Fig. 5 two layers of felt or cloth or other suitable material Z are shown. .They may be one ply of canvas or the like and a layer of felt applied to the canvas sections andfilling the space between the seams, a space however be ng left around the mouthpiece a.

piece of proofed canvas having a slit 6 and .65. next seam to the bottom of the next, as here- Fig. 6 shows a method of forming a 3 ply 1 ;v the piece extending over the seam as at g v and being secured upon the top of the next the foundation thus con- The mouthpiece 0 is strengthened as described and the spaces between the seams are .then filled in with strips of felt or cloth 0, and the case, pressed heated turned and finished as hereinbefore described.

Fig. 7 shows a seam I) having a strengthening strip 39 stitched or otherwise bound around, preparatory to building up the case, said strip being preferably cut' on the straight so that when the case is turned, the stitched seams will each form a slight piece m as shown,

recess upon the outside of the case as hereinbefore described, the wear being taken on the edges of the recess.

What ll claim is 1. As a new article of manufacture a rubber proofed "fabric playing ball case in the completed state of which therubber is in the uncured state and which has an outer coating of cured rubber.

2. As a new articleof manufacture a rubber proofed fabric playing ball case comprising in its completed state layers of uncured rubberized fabric and cured rubber the latter being on the outside of the case.

3. As a new article of manufacture a rubber proofed fabric playing ball case having in 1ts completed state all the strengthening and deadening materials on the inside thereof, all the rubber being in the uncured state an the strengthening and deadening with the exception of an outer coating of cured rubber.

4. As a new article of manufacture a rubher which the rubber is in the uncured state and which has an outer coating of cured rubber and a strengthening piece around the mouthpiece composed of two pieces of proofed fabric stitched together and having slits therein and a layer of rubber proofed thread between.

5. As a new article of manufacture a rubber proofed fabric playing ball case comprising layers of uncured rubberized fabric and cured rubber the latter being on the outside of the case and a strengthening piece around the mouthpiece composed of two pieces of proofed fabric stitched together and having slits therein and a layer of rubber proofed thread betwee I 6. As a new article of manufacture a rubber proofed fabric playing ball case having materials on the inside thereof, all the rubber being in the uncured state with the exception of an outer coating of cured rubber, and a strengthenin piece around the mouthpiece composed 0 two pieces ofproofed proofed fabric playing ball case infabric stitched together and having slits therein and a layer of rubber proofed thread between.

In testimony my hand in the witnesses.

whereof'I have hereunto set presence of two subscribing JOHN TURNER. Witnesses F. W. KING, F. C. BROOMFIELD. 

